Michael Commane
It’s Holy Week and straight away to get it off my chest and it’s a real bugbear with me: this coming Saturday is Holy Saturday, not Easter Saturday, as it is now being called by many, especially by those in the selling business. The Saturday of Easter Week is Easter Saturday, Saturday week. Okay it’s a bugbear with me and I had to say it the week that’s in it.
This is the week Christians recall the suffering and death of Jesus Christ and then on Sunday, the most important feast in the Christian calendar, Christians celebrate their faith in the resurrection.
On Monday I visited four sick people. Sitting down with each of those people I found myself asking over and over what at all is life about. Maybe I was also asking where will I end up?
Some weeks ago there was a story across the media reporting the finding of the bones of Miguel de Cervantes, the famous Spanish writer of Don Quixote
Since the discovery of those bones I have been looking at pictures of them. They are mere bits and pieces and I have kept looking at them and wondering about resurrection
Is it all a mad idea? Do you ever wonder what it’s all about and what happens after death? Anything at all? Is it just oblivion?
I cannot abide those who try to give me a graphic picture of what happens after death. To be honest with you I am sick to death of the pious merchants, who peddle all sorts of things that simply make no sense to me at all. But on the other hand nor am I impressed with those who are adamant in proclaiming there is nothing after death.
I’m well into the second half of my life, indeed, due to get the travel pass next month, so I suppose it’s inevitable that my mind is beginning to focus on the subject of pain and yes, then death.
Last Sunday at Masses around the world people listened to the passion and death of Jesus as recorded in Mark’s Gospel and then this coming Friday in churches people will again hear about what happened to Jesus in the run-up to his crucifixion, this time it will be John’s account.
If you will not be in a church these days why not take out a Bible and read what Mark and John say about what happened. Mark, chapters 14 and 15; John, chapters 18 and 19.
Reading it this year it strikes me that in so many ways it is a universal story about life, pain, suffering and death. We see how the crowd sneer at Jesus. We read how he is betrayed. We read about all the things that happen to us through our lives.
My mind wanders and I’m thinking of all those people, so many youngsters, who were killed in the plane crash in the Alps last week. What must it be like for their families? One young German school girl spoke about losing her classmate. She kept thinking that she was going to turn up. She never did.
They lit candles in honour of their dead classmates. What can one ever say about pain and suffering and death? I want to say ‘resurrection’
On Sunday we celebrate the Christian feast of the Resurrection. Yes, I stumblingly, falteringly believe in it. I gently say we are a resurrection people.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.
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